


The Rooftop

by Anonymania



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: And Hisoka flirts in his own way, Chilling on a rooftop, Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Flirting, Fluff, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Just two bros, Light Angst, M/M, No Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:41:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25988374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonymania/pseuds/Anonymania
Summary: Illumi and Hisoka decide to hang out on a rooftop for no reason other than to be with each other. Illumi contemplates whether this makes he and Hisoka friends or not, so he decides to ask. The answer received causes more of a reaction than either of them expected, but they can't hold back.
Relationships: Hisoka/Illumi Zoldyck
Comments: 21
Kudos: 246





	1. Chapter 1

It's been three hours on the rooftop. Four since they met up. Hisoka made it very clear to Illumi that he was only a message away. Illumi finally gave in and agreed to meet up under normal circumstances. No murder, no plotting, just hanging out.

  
"You're a rare specimen, you know."

Illumi glanced at Hisoka questioningly, but didn't turn his head. Hisoka was staring directly at him and Illumi was so focused on the sky he didn't even notice the chilling stare. Hisoka, on the other hand, was well-aware of the glance Illumi gave him, however short it lasted.

"You're powerful. I have no doubt that I fight between you and I could be..." Hisoka paused for a second to think, his face displaying obvious pleasure towards the idea. "...Savory."

"Are you implying you are going to attack me?" Illumi asked bluntly, though he knew the answer was no.

"Hmm... Well that's where the rarity comes in," he replied thoughtfully. "You're powerful, but you get the job done too quick."

"I'm an assassin."

"And I like to play with my food. Make it...last," Hisoka added. He faced forward, feeling the breeze sweep through his hair. From atop the building, they had an excellent view of the city below. The air was cleaner up there, too. He leaned back, his weight on his hands, which propped him up. Illumi watched him change positions from the side and faced him, waiting for a continuation, though he really could do without one. Hisoka closed his eyes and smiled, but upon feeling Illumi's gaze, opened one eye to look at him.

"Hm?"

"Is that all? You think I would kill you?" Illumi prompted, earning a cocky chuckle from the magician.

"Oh, no, I think your fighting style is boring, if you can call it that. It simply would not interest me. Your strength, however..." Hisoka was basically drooling, sending a shiver up Illumi's back. He was used to this kind of dialogue from him though, so he wasn't surprised. This wasn't necessarily the first time he'd hinted at Illumi's fighting style. Though this is the first time he'd been so... direct with his thoughts. Usually they had relatively normal conversations. As normal as you can be with the people in question, anyways.

"I don't fight if I don't know if I can win, if that's what you mean."

"Exactly. It's a bore. Where's the excitement from that?"

"I don't kill for the excitement."

"You should try it. Get your pretty hands dirty from time to time."

"I have enough "dirt" on my hands."

"On your needles, perhaps," Hisoka leaned forward and faced the assassin. "When's the last time you had real fun?"

Illumi looked straight ahead again, ignoring the magician's intrusiveness.

Hisoka examined his blank expression and deduced that he wouldn't tolerate his prying tonight and gave up. He fell onto his back, his arms resting above his head.

"Fine. Be like that."

Assassins don't need friends.

Illumi vividly recalls each and every time he said that to his brother. Assassins are heartless. We don't need relationships. We don't need love. We are meant for killing and killing alone.

But since Killua's disobedience to the family, he's had to think. Certainly he isn't in the wrong... They are a family of trained assassins. But as he looks at Hisoka laying dramatically on the rooftop, he can't help but have his doubts.

Accomplice, he always said. He's my accomplice. But sometimes it felt relieving to be together without plans. Sometimes Illumi likes taking walks and sitting on rooftops together without planning some grand scheme. Hisoka must like it too, or else he wouldn't be here. And even without a plan, the clown never seemed to get bored of it, as impatient as he is. Would it really be bad to have a friend? Just this once?

Maybe assassins don't need friends, but he knew better than anyone that sometimes they need fresh air, a cold drink, a beautiful night sky. And if Hisoka was there to break the silence, then maybe it wasn't all so bad.

"You're creeping me out," Hisoka said and opened his eyes, meeting the assassin's dead gaze. Illumi immediately broke eye contact.

"Thinking about something?" Hisoka said suggestively and lifted his arms higher above his head.

"In your dreams," Illumi said and calmly looked away with the hint of a smile on his lips. Within a second, Hisoka was close next to Illumi's face, bringing his hand up to gently grab Illumi's jaw. Illumi barely had a reaction, the only thing changing was his eyes widening slightly.

"We could have so much fun, you know," Hisoka purred, looking into the assassin's vacant eyes for a few seconds. Upon receiving no response, Hisoka sighed and returned back to his original position.  
Illumi examined him closely and decided he was acting rather odd, even for Hisoka. He used Gyo, revealing a strand of Bungee Gum connecting his cheek to the magician's thumb.

"Hisoka," Illumi warned.

  
"What? You're never any fun, Illumi," Hisoka groaned and jokingly tugged Illumi's face forward.

"I will kill you."

"I'd like to see you try," Hisoka hummed, still tugging Illumi's face. He seemed increasingly more annoyed, and when Hisoka realized this, he let go and sat up again.

"What are you trying, Hisoka?"

"Me? Trying something? I'm just having some fun, that's all."

Illumi was very quick to forget about what had just happened and fall back into his pit of deep thoughts. Time went by quickly as he contemplated friendship, something he's never had. Something he's hardly thought about.

Hisoka alternated between drilling holes into Illumi's face with his stares and looking at the sky. Illumi's pale skin really stood out under the moonlight, but his dark eyes and hair blended right into the sky. He was almost like a spirit, meant to be in darkness. Even his aura was as dark as the night sky. Everything about Illumi went hand-in-hand with the dark.

"Hisoka," Illumi broke the silence for once, voice soft.

"Yes?" Hisoka perked up, grateful for the sound of his voice.

"Are we... friends?" Illumi asked, gazing at the stars still. He couldn't tell if he was ashamed of the question or genuinely unsure. It wasn't until Hisoka chuckled that he looked at Hisoka.

"I considered us to be. Why do you ask?" the magician questioned, his yellow eyes piercing the night. Illumi really had to think. Why did he ask exactly?

"I... don't know. I don't think I've had a friend before," he said and looked away.

Hisoka wondered if Illumi was really going to get sentimental with him, but he was more than willing to stick around to witness it himself.

"Being trained an assassin... all you know is killing. We're taught how to shut off our emotions at a moment's notice. Anyone you get close to is just a distraction or a potential hostage," Illumi explained, his fingers digging into the cracks on the concrete roof. Hisoka furrowed his brows with curiosity and a tinge of sympathy, something he hasn't felt in a long time.

"Sometimes I feel sick taking lives. It's rare, but seeing blood spill from someone's head can catch me off guard, even now. So I've stayed away from everyone in hopes to keep them safe..."

Hisoka leaned forward to see Illumi's face, and he swore he could see his eyes welling up for just a second. He couldn't tell, though, since Illumi was deliberately avoiding looking at him.

"The scariest thing is killing someone and feeling nothing. It's scarier than killing in the first place," he continued and started stroking a stand of his own hair.

"I've been raised to see it as normal, as I'm sure you know... But I now realize that I'm not afraid of killing. I'm afraid of being on the other side."

"...Being killed?" Hisoka asked.

"No... On the side of the friends and families..." Illumi paused and cleared his throat. The silence afterwards was deafening but Hisoka wasn't stupid. He could tell Illumi wasn't one to be vulnerable with anyone, and he didn't want to ruin the moment for either of them. One thing he couldn't really tell was if he was talking about Hisoka himself or Killua, his brother. He wasn't sure if he wanted to ask, though. Upon closer inspection of Illumi, he could tell that he was shaking. It was subtle, but enough to catch even Hisoka off-guard.

Of course, Hisoka has felt all of the same things. Probably to a smaller extent, since most of his killings were by choice. Hisoka got pleasure from killing, sure, but every so often he did have to ask himself why.

For Illumi, a hardened assassin, to be discussing such deep thoughts so openly around him was partly endearing. Hisoka had only seen Illumi as a friend because they give each other favors without second thought or question. Illumi was willing to pose as Hisoka while he sought a fight with Chrollo, however, and he did so compliantly with no questions asked. Likewise, Hisoka was more than willing to take care of Killua's bodyguards. They gave and received with no deeper thought. That is what Hisoka defined their relationship as.  
The more Illumi thought about it, the harder it got to hold back. A lifetime worth of repressed thoughts and emotions started to pour through.

Why now, he thought. Of all times... of all people...

Hisoka's right arm slipped behind Illumi's back and brought his free hand to the assassin's face.

"You're getting soft with me, Lumi," Hisoka teased and wiped the tear that had fallen down the other's face. His face remained stoic once Hisoka was up close, and he tried his best to hold back, staring blankly into the distance.

"I can't remember the last time I cried," Illumi said, voice quivering for the first time in years.

Hisoka retracted his hand and watched, mostly out of shock, at the now-crying Illumi. Tears fell down his face and his expression portrayed a sadness unseen by Hisoka before. His shock was met with more shock as Illumi closed his eyes and embraced Hisoka in a hug without a second thought.

  
"I'm tired of being scared to lose people," Illumi sobbed into Hisoka's shoulder. Hisoka froze out of shock from the sudden hug, especially considering who was giving it to him. He eventually relaxed and returned the hug, tangling his hands in Illumi's silky black hair and stroking it with a certain tenderness he hasn't shown before. Illumi's body shook against his own, and he could feel every breath, every sob, and every hiccup from this deeply broken man who had no one else to turn to. Hisoka's face turned into a twisted grin...

...This was going to be fun.


	2. The Motel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two check into a motel. Illumi is relieved that the thing he wants to protect the most is in his arms,  
> Hisoka is just relieved that Illumi finally picked up on the hints he's been sending him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sober Up by AJR was a big inspiration for this fic. 
> 
> This may be the end of this little story, but I plan to write these two again. I want to make a prompt-based story based on prompts you all suggest! Please leave requests and you might see them in action sooner than later!!!

Hisoka stroked Illumi's hair for several minutes, letting Illumi let out his inner turmoil on the sleeve of his shirt. He never expected to see Illumi like this, not that he was complaining...  
Illumi drew back, his hair falling into his face and obstructing Hisoka's sight of his come-apart. His shoulders still shuddered with every sob as he wiped his own face with his cold fingers. Hisoka felt the tinge of sympathy grow, along with his excitement. He liked toying with Illumi. Not necessarily out of malice. No, Hisoka had to admit that he cared for the other dearly, but seeing him fall apart like this was much more satisfying than any time he'd pissed him off. There was obvious satisfaction in Hisoka's face every time he made the assassin leak blood-lust and scare off all the birds, or even just roll his eyes.

But this... now this was more interesting to see.

The magician closed the gap that the other had made between them and put a hand on his back. Hisoka went to stand up and grabbed Illumi's hand, taken aback by how much it trembled. Illumi accepted and was pulled up to his feet, but still covered his face.

"There now," Hisoka said and took him around the shoulder and walked towards the staircase that brought them up here.

"I'm going to check us in to a motel for the night. Is that alright?" Hisoka asked, his voice low but still keeping the dramatic tone as always. Illumi simply nodded, afraid that a verbal response would warrant his voice cracking too much to say anything anyways. They walked down the stairs together in near silence (besides the sniffles) to the bottom floor of the warehouse they broke into. It wouldn't be these two without some level of crime, after all.

They slipped through the door in which they came and walked down the street to a nearby motel. It wasn't anything fancy, really, just a shabby motel, as most were. Hisoka simply showed his Hunter's License at the desk and said he needed a room for the night.

"Oh, and only one bed will be necessary," he added, leaning onto the counter. Illumi's face was still covered, but Hisoka could still feel his evil glare from behind the curtain of hair. He smirked and raised his eyebrows at the secretary, who silently and uncomfortably handed him a key-card. On one side was their room number, the other side a bunch of useless information. Hisoka led them to their room, as Illumi could still barely see.

He unlocked the door, closed it behind them, and stood still, staring at Illumi. He avoided eye contact with the magician and stood equally as still, waiting for him to say something. Hisoka rolled his eyes and sighed, taking Illumi's wrist and bringing him to the bed to sit. They both sat and Hisoka brushed the hair out of Illumi's face to reveal a flushed and saddened assassin beneath.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me," Illumi said shamefully, his voice low to avoid too much cracking. No response from Hisoka. Should he say something else? Should he stay quiet?

"I've taken from so many. I wouldn't know how to handle being taken from."

"You've had plenty taken from you. I can tell that much," the magician started and kept playing nonchalantly with his silky hair. He laid down on the bed (dramatically posed as always) and sighed.

"You know I'm not an easy target. And you know Killua isn't either. Especially with Gon by his side. I wouldn't worry so much if I were you," he continued. Illumi laid down next to him and looked at the ceiling. He was met with silence. Hisoka got up to turn off the light and laid back down. It wasn't long before a cold arm slithered around his slim waist and pulled him closer to the other side of the bed. Hisoka had no qualms about this advancement and happily got closer, letting Illumi place his forehead against his chest and take in his warmth.

"You're freezing cold." Hisoka sat up and grabbed the blanket folded at the foot of the bed and brought it up over them, before wrapping himself around Illumi again. His chin rested atop the assassin's head, as he practically cradled the other. Hisoka was always fond of Illumi, so he certainly wasn't complaining. If anything, he was pleased. Not only was this mostly by Illumi's will, but he was making advancements on his own. Hisoka was dreading having to make every move while Illumi stares blankly with no reaction. That was the worst.  
But this? This was fine. Hisoka, as he was laying on his side, took his free arm and rested it on the small of Illumi's back. His other arm, which Illumi's head rested on, stroked the hair that it could reach, something they both enjoyed more than they should.

"Thank you," Illumi said into Hisoka's chest.

"Anytime. After all, I am just a message away," Hisoka responded. Illumi was torn between rolling his eyes and smiling, as he could practically hear Hisoka's wink with that sentence. The silence was comforting this time, and Hisoka continued to stroke Illumi's hair with care until he was too tired to continue.

And so they drifted off to sleep in each other's embrace. Neither had ever slept so peacefully, knowing the thing they wanted to keep the most was in their arms and safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed these two broken lovebirds. Leave requests for these two and I might just make a whole separate book for them ;)


End file.
